Break-even trips for a pass vs per-ride fare, and effective cost per trip.

A 150 monthly pass vs 3 per ride breaks even at 50 rides. At 60 rides the pass is 2.50 per trip; at 40 rides it's 3.75 per trip — worse than paying per-ride. Track a typical month of trips honestly before committing; most people overestimate.

What the result means

Primary is your effective cost per trip at the stated usage. Secondary shows break-even trips, savings or loss at your level, and the cost per trip at 2× usage as a stretch comparison.

Common mistake

Buying annual passes 'because it's cheaper' without confirming usage. A 1,500 annual pass only wins over 5 fares if you take 300+ trips a year — over 5 trips a week. Remote working has made many annual passes worse value than daily tickets.

Run it with sensible defaults

Using monthly pass cost of 150, per-ride fare of 3, trips per month of 40, the calculation works out to 3.75. Nudge the inputs toward your own situation and the output recalculates instantly. The defaults are meant as a starting point, not a recommendation.

The levers in this calculation

The inputs — Monthly Pass Cost, Per-Ride Fare, and Trips Per Month — do not pull with equal force. Frequency and unit price pull the total in different directions. The biggest surprise for most people is how small recurring amounts compound into large annual figures — that's where this calculation earns its keep.

How the math works

Effective cost per trip is pass cost divided by trips. Break-even trips is pass cost divided by per-ride fare. Compare the two numbers — above break-even the pass wins; below, it loses. The working is transparent — you can verify every step yourself in the formula section below. No black box, no opaque "proprietary model".

Using the result to negotiate

The figure gives you a concrete number to quote when shopping alternatives. "I'm paying £X annually" cuts through marketing in a way "I want a better deal" doesn't. The specificity wins.

What this doesn't capture

Usage varies month-to-month; tariffs change; discounts come and go. The figure here is a clean baseline — your actual annual bill will fluctuate around it. Use the calculation to benchmark providers, not as a prediction of a specific bill.